canklecat

Ditto, the group ride aggravations. I still enjoy group rides. But they can be more dangerous than riding in traffic.

I'm no longer strong enough for A-groups and usually the B-group folks are careful and laid back. But because it's the B-group and generally open to anyone who wants to join, occasionally we get some folks with sketchy bike handling non-skills. My usual solution is to give 'em plenty of room.

Alas, one of the regulars on a local B-group ride drives me daffy by drafting while using an aero bar -- nowhere near the brakes. I'm surprised the ride leader hasn't said anything. Or maybe he has and it just doesn't sink in.

And I've seen some otherwise decent cyclists drafting within inches of the leading wheel, riding with hands on the bar tops, nowhere near the brakes. These aren't training rides or workouts with a cadre of skilled teammates. Just semi-fast casual group rides with semi-serious roadies who might occasionally do a triathlon.

I just can't even when I see that stuff. Often I'll drop out and go my own way when those folks show up.

Just the sight of aero bars in a group ride makes me wince now. I even took off the clip on aero bars from one bike so nobody else would grimace while riding like I do when I see 'em. I'll transfer the aero bar to another bike project strictly for solo rides. A friend has a frame from a TT bike he isn't using, so it'll be a good addition for that.

On the plus side, on rides like Tuesday's where it's a smallish group of regulars and we're all on the same page, it's a pleasure to ride with friends.

Nachoman

It's frustrating for sure.
I still do one or two big charity rides every year and thing that pisses me off most is seeing the yahoos that must say to themselves 'hey, right now, during this large group charity ride, would be a perfect time for me to wobble around and try to ride with no hands'.

indyfabz

Yep. Another one is when I pass a group of slower riders and then come to a long traffic light down the road. The slower riders weasel their way to the front, swarming any cars that are also waiting for the light. Now the faster rider have to pass them all over again.

superpletch

where I live there is an obviously unenforced law that limits dog leashes to 10 ft. many times i have come around the corner to a dog owner paying no attention to their 3lb rat dog at the end of a 24ft retractable leash blocking not only both lanes of trail, but also any avenue of going off trail to avoid a crash. I love dogs, but not all dog owners.

Siu Blue Wind

@superpletch

I'm Asian AND female, and I took second place with SCCA F body series beaten only by .3 seconds by a woman who was sponsored.

So no, your assumptions that Asians are bad drivers is a bit off key.

Oh and by the way,

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jeffreythree

I had a new and frustrating encounter with a club ride this past Saturday. Going the opposite direction as me, a few hollered "Out of the way!" even though I was only a foot from my edge of the road. They were taking up both lanes of a 2 lane country road. Strava flyby shows it was a local club's 16 mph C ride. Scariest part is they had just come out of a section of road with blind corners with a one lane bridge in the middle.

Miele Man

The bicycle clubs here in town that have rides do NOT allow aero-bars at all unless it's a Cadbury Aero-Bar that you eat. LOL The club says that aero-bars are simply too dangerous in a group ride.

Cheers

canklecat

I'd like to believe that it wouldn't be necessary to outright ban bikes with aero bars from group rides. But when I see people actually using them while drafting... ugh. Maybe they're so accustomed to using the aero bars while riding solo that they forget and use 'em during group rides. Occasionally a couple of us repost a notorious YouTube video showing the consequences of riding aero bars while drafting. But it doesn't seem to sink in.

Maybe these folks were practicing a team time trial event, I dunno. But amateurs shouldn't be on the aero bars while drafting. Switch to the aero bar when they're taking a pull, sure. But not drafting. Nobody is that good -- witness the first stage team TT wipe out on a wet corner in the Vuelta this weekend, and many other TT crashes. And very few cyclists are getting paid enough to cover the damage and injuries to oneself and fellow cyclists.

Anyway, I took my old Scott bars off the old school steelie I use for group rides. I'm gonna save 'em for a TT bike frame I'm getting from a friend, and use it only for solo training.

JoeKahno

The situation here in the Philippines is sort of pathetic. Strays, both canine and feline, multiply to the limits of the food supply and beyond. There is nothing of consequence one person can do. Trying to change the culture is worse than useless.

In the California town where I used to live, every redneck had to have a large, aggressive "guard dog". Often it was justified. Anything that wasn't guarded quickly went to support some homeless guys drug habit. However, very few of these animals were properly trained or restrained. I worked animal control for a while in the mid-west. Maybe I'm a little hard nosed on the topic but far too often I've had to put down what could have been some very fine animals. I firmly believe that when a person is attacked, the victim should have the option of deciding whether the dog or it's owner gets the needle.

Milton Keynes

Gonna have to say that was his own fault for following too closely and overlapping wheels. Not sure why he flipped at the end unless a broken spoke got caught in something.

canklecat

On aero bars while drafting. Recipe for disaster.

Yeah, in a higher rez version I've seen it appears a broken spoke on the front wheel jammed just as he'd almost recovered.

ksryder

A pirate walks into a bar and has a ship's steering wheel attached to the front of his pants. The bartender asked him "Why do you have that steering wheel on the front of your pants?"

"Aaaarrrr!" said the pirate. "It's drivin' me nuts!"

(this is about as OT as the rest of this thread.)

indyfabz

Three pirates walk into a bar. The fourth one ducks.

Spinay70

@Siu Blue Wind

So the other week it was a rather nice day here, no humidity and 75 degrees...I knew the bikepaths would be packed but still...too nice of a day to NOT be on the bike. Im riding along and i see a rather big (like bodybuilder type) pumping towards me on his bike, sans shirt/helmet, at a pretty good clip. Problem was up ahead, there was a young couple with two small kids and a stroller enjoying their family outing as well. I slowed down, seeing a bottleneck occur as the couple tried moving the stoller quickly...they noticed biggie coming too. In a second the guy bombed past, swerving and weaving in and out of kids and stroller (as if he was the subject of a Terry Barentsen video), then continue on his merry way. Yikes, i cringed thinking of the possibilities!

On a positive note, on my ride today I had the fortune of encountering a young male deer that crossed my path (furry antlers and all), only to then stop a few yards away staring at me. I stopped as well and stared back. What a moment! Its why I love riding solo sometimes

SPinay70